September 26, 2024 at PDT
Sad Girl
When it came to creating her second album, London producer TSHA wanted to go deeper. “I’ve always been a sad bitch, someone who can feel lonely even when they have people around them,” she tells Apple Music. “I wanted to write an album that honors that part of me and those difficult teenage years of finding myself and the music I loved, while keeping it danceable.”
Since the release of 2022’s debut album Capricorn Sun, TSHA has established herself as one of dance music’s most capable party-starters, producing bright, melody-forward tunes that create cathartic dance-floor release as much as emotive introspection. Following a MOBO and Grammy nomination, as well as a residency at Ibiza’s DC-10 for TSHA, Sad Girl combines her knack for heartfelt songwriting with an increasing focus on big-room energy. The result ranges from the euphoric, synth-fueled empowerment of “Girls” to the ’90s orchestral breakbeats of “Drive” and the ambient soulfulness of “Lonely Girl,” all while keeping the listener moving. “It feels like the perfect encapsulation of who I am and who I was,” she says. Read on for TSHA’s in-depth thoughts on the album, track by track.
“Sad Girl” (with Dan Whitlam)
“I love concept albums and this intro sets the theme for the concept of the record, which is exploring my journey through sadness, loneliness, and depression. I’ve been following [London spoken-word artist] Dan Whitlam’s work ever since he wrote a verse over one of my tunes and posted it to his Instagram. I knew he would be perfect with this synth soundscape and he delivered something really beautiful to kick off the album.”
“Girls” (with Rose Gray)
“It was important to me that this album also be about my growing confidence and learning to have fun as a woman while realizing your worth. I’ve worked with Rose before and she’s so talented—she brought this perfect Cyndi Lauper vibe to the track, making it a celebration of female power.”
“In the Night”
“I live my life at night. I’m either DJing or up late writing; it’s where I find myself. I wanted to write about that mood and I used the synth from another track on the album, ‘Green,’ to produce this uptempo sound, coupled with my own singing, which isn’t something I usually do on my songs but it felt like the best way to convey my personal feelings.”
“Can’t Dance” (with Master Peace)
“Raleigh Ritchie wrote the lyrics to this a while back and sent it to me and I loved it. It reminded me of the awkward teen phase of being at a school disco and trying to fit in. I wanted it on the album but he didn’t connect with the message as much anymore so Master Peace hopped on and added even more character. Musically, I wanted to reference sounds from earlier in my life, like the Craig David plucked guitars and a grime-influenced flute.”
“Green”
“‘Green’ references the vibe of Cher’s ‘Believe,’ which was the first tune I recorded on tape and used to play on a ghetto blaster [boom box] as a kid. It began in that mood and then morphed into a Chicago house style. I started writing it after I had an argument with my partner, and I was riffing on the idea that the grass is greener but we never go there.”
“Sweet Devotion” (with Caroline Byrne)
“House music was my first love and I wanted to make a house tune on the album, something I could DJ. I started writing ‘Sweet Devotion’ as a lighthearted tune full of great drums, something deep and groovy, and then reached out to [New Jersey singer-songwriter] Caroline Byrne who nailed the vocal. It’s gone down really well in my sets and has become one of my favorites to play out.”
“Lonely Girl”
“I wanted an interlude to reset the record before it progresses into the second half. ‘Lonely Girl’ is meant to be a soundtrack to the experience I would often have as a lonely kid with an active imagination, going off into the garden to try and find the door to the Secret Garden. These noises are meant to be the sounds leading you along that journey.”
“In Bloom” (with Abi Flynn)
“When I wrote ‘In Bloom,’ I was thinking about 2000s R&B and the kind of teenage angst that Jojo used to put into her music, the feeling of crying because someone wouldn’t hold your hand. This track is meant to be like singing that feeling to yourself in your bedroom. It was my first time working with [UK singer-songwriter/producer] Abi Flynn but she created that vibe perfectly with her noughties voice.”
“Azaleas” (with Ingrid Witt)
“I sent out a message on Instagram asking for people to send a cappella ideas to me and Ingrid [Witt, Swedish singer-songwriter/producer] came back with this track, which reminded me so much of Kate Bush. It sounds like being lost in a whimsical garden, and I added in these Kanye West drums, to reference another formative sound I used to love as a kid.”
“Take”
“‘Take’ has the drums from the end of ‘Azaleas,’ which are then sped up and made harder to give the track its backbone. I used a vocal sample and wanted to go into something more ballroom by using synth stabs and the Chicago sounds of the 909 drum machine. It’s a tune to play out for fun moments in the set.”
“Drive” (with Ingrid Witt)
“This track references Massive Attack’s ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ and piano house, all the music that I loved when I was growing up. It’s a song about feeling like you need to start afresh and choosing to leave your hometown. Ingrid related it to her own experiences of leaving a small town in Sweden, whereas I moved from [Hampshire seaside town] Fareham to London when I was 19, which was a very lonely transition.”
“Fight”
“I watched Underworld live at Coachella in 2023 and fell in love with their whole punk vibe. I wanted to reference ‘Born Slippy’ with the hard drums and indie vocal on this track but also wanted it to still have melodic elements to create a closing tune that’s a bit angry but also emphatic and energetic.”
12 Tracks
